From Sperryville to millions of TikTok raves: Moose and Phoebe dog treats become overnight sensation | Features & Events

Couple fetches success after dog treats spark viral sensation, thousands of orders

When Sperryville’s Josh Keesling and partner Sherry Weakley began baking homemade treats for their dogs earlier this year, they had not imagined running a nationwide dog biscuit business just months later.

Thanks to a viral TikTok video at a farmers market in Aldie, Keesling and Weakley, owners of Moose and Phoebe Homemade Tasty Treats, are now planning their next steps as they receive more than a thousand order requests from people across the country.

“We didn’t think this would happen this quickly,” Keesling said. “With this young lady that recorded our interaction and made this TikTok video — she amplified the influx of people, the demand of this product so quick that it kind of caught me off guard.”

A TikTok account called “MelodysPOV” posted a video of Melody’s visit to the Gilberts Corner Farmers Market Aug. 12, featuring an interaction in which she asked Keesling questions about his homemade product. MelodysPOV posts short videos of her visits to farmers markets and small businesses around the region and has about 10,000 followers.

“I love farmers markets so I actually U-turned to go back and only had a couple of minutes to spend there before I had to head back on my way,” she wrote to the Rapahannock News via TikTok. “He was great from the moment I spoke with him and I could see the passion in his eyes and the way he was talking showed how much he cares. That’s why they all loved him on social media.” 

As of Tuesday, the video of Keesling had received more than two million views, 300,000 likes and 700 comments from TikTokers applauding Keesling’s efforts.

“You know his dogs are his babies,” one person commented. “He literally made treats for them and decided others deserve it too.”

“I now love this man,” another commenter wrote, referring to Keesling. “He seems so kind.”

Keesling called the viral video a “blessing” while the couple deals with their own health issues, making it difficult for either to work full time.

Keesling was working in Rappahannock County as a handyman when he injured his back two years ago, which eventually led to surgery, nerve pain and weekly physical therapy. Weakley was bitten by a Lone Star tick in May and ended up contracting a serious case of alpha-gal syndrome. 

“At this point, it’s a lifeline for us to reach out and take advantage of,” Keesling said.

Keesling and Weakley began baking biscuits in January for their own dogs, Moose, a German shepherd rottweiler, and Phoebe, a cane corso and American Staffordshire mix, because they had sensitive stomachs. Keesling said Phoebe would get hives and small bumps on her stomach after eating dog treats from big-name pet stores.

The biscuits are baked with ambrosia honey, oat flour — which is gluten free — peanut butter and either apples or bananas, depending on the flavor.

“We were sitting on the couch one night after I just got done baking a batch for the dogs, and a bulb went off at the same time for both of us, and we just looked at each other and were like, ‘We should just try and do this,’” Keesling said. 

In order to begin fulfilling online orders to ship across the country, Keesling said they have to do more testing to be certified by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, or VDACS.

Since May they’ve been selling Moose and Phoebe Homemade Tasty Treats at the Gilberts Corner Farmers Market on Sundays in Aldie. They can bake roughly 50 bags of treats a week, and they’re hoping to soon upgrade their equipment to bake 200 bags a week.

Weakley put together a website, mooseandphoebe.com, where they are selling merchandise like hats, hoodies, T-shirts, candles, dog bandanas, food bowls and koozies in order to generate more revenue before they’re approved by the VDACS to sell treats. 

The couple hopes to buy an additional dehydrator, which is crucial for the dog treat baking process. The appliance removes moisture from the biscuits to make them shelf-stable while preserving their nutrients.

“We have people all over trying to help,” Weakley said. “Some offering free graphic design, social media consultation, shipping tips, so much.”

They are currently fulfilling an order for Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton, Keesling said, and will be restocking at the Quickie Mart in Washington, where they’ve been selling since June. 

“We don’t have the capacity with current equipment for more than that,” Weakley said. “We’ll move to where we can find commercial space because that makes sense. I think this could blow up and be huge. We already have people asking for subscription boxes, too.”